Photo credit: Thomas Hawk via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC
Firehose
The firehose of truth will clean out those closets of lies.
Many have reacted negatively to the equation of Joseph and Mary with Roy Moore and the 14-year-old girl Moore (allegedly) sought to seduce.
But, to me, with my long history in Evangelicalism, it makes perfect sense. When a religion systematically silences the female voice at the highest levels, and that is part of the core of the Evangelical world, then the female cannot be seen as fully human.
It is that simple. No voice, no humanity. Instead, females become fit ultimately only for breeding and for the sexual satisfaction of the one whose voice does count: the alpha male. Roy Moore is their poster boy. And the exposure of Roy Moore threatens Evangelicalism to its patriarchal core.
We are in a time of extreme upheaval. Woman are finally becoming “Brave Enough to be Angry.”
We are finding our voices; we are saying, “Enough. Me Too. It’s time for this to stop.”
The revelations are coming fast and furious now. We’ve all got stories to tell.
Eventually and inevitably, these stories will hit at the sordid underbelly of Evangelicalism. They’ll be the last to come out. The social pressure, the nearly complete male-held religious power and the slut-shaming that will emerge from the female Evangelical contingent, who will fight to keep their own secrets safe, will continue to silence many voices. But they’ll eventually appear.
Again, Roy Moore’s populate Evangelical leadership. Misogyny is their stock in trade. Women are only to be used, not heard. And they have used us, over and over again.
And I hope, just as the entertainment world and the political worlds will never again be as safe for the male sexual predator, that the Evangelical world will eventually become less safe for the male sexual predator.
As is usual, the conservative elements of the religious world will be the last to jump on the bandwagon of justice. They tend to be the first to separate, to demonize the other, to circle the wagons tighter. But at some point, it’s all going to be over.
As a nation, we are being cleansed. The doors to the closets of abuse have been unlocked, and the contents have spilled out. Those secrets, long hidden, carry the offensive odor of decay. We recoil, but we will not shut those doors again until the firehose of truth has exposed all of this.
I can feel the terrified shudders of the mighty men who have exploited their power for too long. It’s time for you to learn that the power you have hoarded is now going to turn against you.
Yes, you’ll hire your expensive lawyers and you’ll scream “Liars” at the women. But we who are finally speaking out will stand firm. Our voices now take on the authority of the believed–and yours take on the stench of the many offenses you committed in private.
As for the Evangelical world: start shaking. Your male hegemonies have only a few years left. They will crumble. Your secrets will also come out. And possibly, just possibly, a more righteous, a more holy, and more light-filled theology will emerge.
Yep, we are finally getting brave enough to be angry. And righteous anger at injustice reflects the core of God’s nature, who loves unreservedly and who has made it clear: whoever hurts the least among us hurts the heart of God.
Christy Thumb
The Rev. Christy Thomas
The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas, AKA The Thoughtful Pastor, is a retired clergywoman and author from Frisco, Texas. This post is republished with the author's permission from her blog, The Thoughtful Pastor, on Patheos.com.